Peoria Standard

Peoria County Ways and Means Committee met February 27.

Here is the minutes provided by the Committee:

Members Present: Allen Mayer - Chairman; Steven Rieker - Vice Chairman; James Fennell, Phillip Salzer, William Watkins, Jr., Sharon Williams - Committee Members

Members Absent: Brad Harding

Others Present: Scott Sorrel - County Administrator; Shauna Musselman - Assistant County Administrator; Larry Evans - State's Attorney's Office; Andrew Rand – County Board Chairman; Randy Brunner – Interim Chief Financial Officer; Julie Ciesla, Paul Letcher – Finance; Angela Loftus – Asst. Director of Human Resources; Gretchen Pearsall – Director of Strategic Communications; Kent Rotherham – County Auditor; Beth Derry - Regional Office of Education; Dave Ryan - Supervisor of Assessments; J. Greg Fletcher – Board of Review; Dan O’Connell – Facilities Director; Steve Sonnemaker – County Clerk; Mark Little – Chief Information Officer; Nicole Demetreas, Kelly Van Middlesworth - Treasurer; Doug Gaa - Sheriff's Office

Call to Order:

The meeting was called to order by Chairman Mayer at 1:00 p.m.

Approval of Minutes:

A motion to approve the minutes of January 23, 2018 was made by Mr. Salzer and seconded by Mr. Watkins. The motion carried.

Informational Items/Reports/Other Minutes/Updates:

County Auditor-

No report. No questions or comments from committee.

County Clerk-

Mr. Sonnemaker advised that 1,500 Statements of Economic Interest have been mailed and are due by May 1, 2018. He stated that all tax levy confirmations, with one exception, have been returned by municipalities.

Mr. Sonnemaker advised that the scanning project is nearly complete. He stated that land records were manually inspected and rescanned if necessary to ensure inclusion and legibility.

Peoria County Election Commission-

Mr. Little advised that the architect is working on final drawings for the new facility in preparation for the bid letting.

Finance-

Mr. Brunner advised that auditors were present and performing preliminary fieldwork several weeks ago, and will return in April.

Regional Office of Education (ROE)-

Ms. Derry provided an update on activities of the Regional Office of Education:

• The ROE is the recipient of a $602,000.00 grant award for Preschool for All Expansion. The funding will allow for the provision of services to 40 additional preschool children in Peoria County.

• A fundraiser for the Peoria Regional Learning Center, “Journey Like No Other”, is being held on March 15, 2018. Proceeds will be utilized for technology needs and textbooks.

• An ad-hoc committee on school safety has been formed and will meet next week, with a focus on communication between silos and problem solving.

Supervisor of Assessments/Board of Review-

• Tax Cycle

Mr. Ryan advised that the final Abstract has been sent to the Department of Revenue. He stated that in running preliminary 2018 numbers, it appears that several townships may experience negative factors, with assessments going down in those areas.

Mr. Fennell noted that homes being sold by Caterpillar employees are most likely being sold below original market value, and asked if those homes would be reassessed to the new sales price. Mr. Ryan advised that if the Supervisor of Assessments would review if a request to reassess if received.

• Board of Review

Mr. Fletcher advised that 2017 saw 816 assessment complaints were received; 2016 saw a total of 779. He advised that 50% of the 2016 cases went on to file with PTAB. He stated that the State returned 244 of those cases to the Board of Review. He commented that 31 PTAB cases are over $100,000.00 in reductions.

Mr. Fletcher advised that the 2017 reduced EAV was nearly $16 million, while the 2016 reduction in assessed value was $9.3 million.

Treasurer-

Ms. Demetreas advised that Peoria County offers several methods of paying real estate taxes. She reported on the various Batch Types, the amount paid through those Batch Types and parcel numbers included in the Batch Types. The report indicates that a total of $277 million in payments are received by the Treasurer’s Office, while $39 million is collected via the Township Collectors. Ms. Demetreas stated that the City of Peoria Township Collector is responsible for nearly $34 million of that total.

Ms. Demetreas advised that in addition to collecting real estate taxes in the Treasurer’s Office, 9 of the 18 Peoria County Townships have Township Collectors. She stated that Peoria County has Intergovernmental Agreements with Limestone, Medina and West Peoria Townships to act as their collector. She also advised that 11 banks collect for Peoria County, 9 of which submit their information electronically.

Mr. Mayer requested that the State’s Attorney’s Office review the process by which other counties in Illinois have used to streamline the payment of real estate taxes. Mr. Rand asked if the supporting levy would be reabsorbed by the Township or taxes be reduced if the Township Collector function were eliminated. Mr. Mayer commented that the decision would be up to the individual Township Boards. Mr. Rand also asked if there are additional fees paid by the taxpayer if a Township Collector processes their payment. Ms. Demetreas advised that the Collector’s salary and bond is included in the levy, as well supplies provided by the Township.

Veteran's Assistance Commission-

Mr. Sorrel advised that office space immediately across the hall from the current VAC space has become available. He stated that although the space is smaller, the office is more suited to the needs of the VAC, and would reduce their monthly rent. The VAC is currently reviewing their options.

Legislative Update-

HB4319 - Hanna City Work Camp – Mr. Sorrel advised that an amendment has been introduced that would release the block on the Bill. The amendment states that should Peoria County sell the Hanna City Work Camp real estate, the County would owe the State of Illinois 10% of the sale price.

Mr. Sorrel advised that Jeff Torricelli & Associates, one of the respondents to the Legislative Consulting Services who was not awarded the contract, has presented some unique concepts related to economic development and Medicaid. He stated that within the spending authority granted to the County Administrator, the terms of an agreement are being negotiated to utilize the firm for targeted economic development and Medicaid related lobbying. He stressed that Anderson Legislative Consulting would continue their traditional function of working with members of the General Assembly.

Mr. Sorrel advised that he will be attending the NACo Legislative Conference next week, adding that he has been included on the calendars of the legislative staffs for Senators Duckworth and Durbin. He will also meet with Congressman LaHood and Congresswoman Bustos on Federal issues impacting Peoria County. His discussions will include issues related to internet sales tax, infrastructure, and inpatient treatment for prisoners at the Jail.

Resolution:

• Monthly Delinquent Taxes

A motion to approve was made by Mr. Fennell and seconded by Mr. Salzer. The motion to approve carried.

Adjournment:

The meeting was adjourned by Chairman Mayer at 1:46 p.m.

http://www.peoriacounty.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03272018-507